Formula 1 testing to be limited to Europe

Formula 1 teams have agreed that testing will be confined to Europe next year, after two tests in Bahrain before the start of this season, as part of newly agreed cost saving measures.

“We spent quite a while talking about things and so on and we’ve agreed on a couple of things next year which will save money,” Red Bull Principal Christian Horner told reporters at the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday.

“Testing is reduced. Testing will be in Europe rather than overseas, wind tunnel time and CFD (computation fluid dynamics) ratios have been further reduced.” he said.

Most of the pre-season testing is likely to take place in Spain next year, with the Barcelona and Jerez circuits the traditional venues.

Horner said everything that was agreed in a Formula One Commission meeting on Wednesday had been done so unanimously.

Sauber Principal Monisha Kaltenborn said the teams had not gone far enough, however.

“We are clearly not there, where we should be and where we wanted to be,” she said. “I also don’t think we have achieved so far any measurable cost cutting.” (Reuters)